Ind. murder convict mistakenly released in Chicago

9:32 PM,
Jan. 31, 2013

This photo provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Office shows Steven L. Robbins, a convicted murderer police in Indiana and Illinois are searching for after he was mistakenly released from custody in Chicago. Authorities in Cook County said Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 that they're investigating how and why Robbins was released. The 44-year-old was serving a 60-year sentence for murder and weapons charges in Indiana when he was sent to Chicago on Tuesday to face a drug charge. (AP Photo/Cook County Sheriff's Office)

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CHICAGO (AP) - Police were hunting for a convicted murderer on Thursday after he was mistakenly released from custody in Chicago, where he was sent to face a drug charge while serving a 60-year prison sentence in Indiana.

Indiana Department of Corrections officials said Steven L. Robbins, 44, was sent to Cook County Circuit Court on Tuesday to face a drug charge. The charge was dropped, "but for reasons yet unknown, the offender was released by Illinois authorities without being held for return," the department said in a news release.